Killer Colton Christmas

by Regan Black

“Ah, no,” Felicity replied. She took a sip of cider, her eyes darting back to Dario. He still held Joseph, and now he was reading the boy a book. Her heart fluttered in her chest and she felt her resistance to him melt even more.

  Did he know the effect he was having on her? Surely not. He couldn’t be that calculating—he didn’t seem like the kind of man to use a child as a prop to get into a woman’s good graces. He looked far too genuinely interested in the boy for that.

  “Something tells me you could be dating someone if you wanted,” Edith said cryptically.

  Felicity returned her focus to the other woman. “What do you mean?”

  Edith’s lips curved in a knowing smile. “You two haven’t stopped watching each other since you walked in here. Dario’s doing well with Joesph, but he’s been sneaking glances over at you when you’ve been distracted. And you’ve been doing the same to him. It’s clear you’re interested in him, and he returns it.”

  “Really?” Felicity felt equal parts dismay over being so transparent and giddy at the thought of Dario wanting her. When he’d approached her at Emiliano’s engagement party, she’d figured he was just looking to flirt with a pretty face. But if his interest ran deeper than that, if he truly wanted to get to know her...the possibility made her feel warm inside.

  “All I’m saying is that if you’re feeling lonely, I don’t think you need to stay that way. Unless that’s what you truly want.”

  Felicity glanced at Dario again, her mind whirring as she considered Edith’s point. Would it be so bad to go out with him once or twice? Adeline had said none of Dario’s girlfriends had a bad word to say about him. Maybe he would be a good choice to reintroduce her to the dating scene, help her get her feet wet again. After years of being single, didn’t she deserve to have a little fun?

  At that moment, Thorne walked in the back door on a gust of cold wind, Cody hot on his heels. They both had snow in their hair and sported broad grins, and it was clear they’d had fun playing outside. “Food’s up,” Thorne called, carrying a plate of steaming hamburger patties and hot dogs into the kitchen. People began to drift into the other room, headed for the promise of warm food.

  At the sound of his father’s voice, little Joseph began to wriggle in earnest. Maggie retrieved her son with a smile, and Dario watched them go, then walked over to Edith and Felicity.

  “Looks like you’ve been forgotten,” Felicity said, her heart rate jumping at his nearness.

  “That’s okay,” Dario said. “I think he was getting bored with me anyway.”

  “Kids can be rather fickle,” Edith said. “But you made a great babysitter.”

  “Thanks.” Dario grinned and glanced at Joseph again. The boy was now in Thorne’s arms, his head against his father’s chest. “He’s an easy kid to get along with.”

  River joined them then and handed Edith a cup of cider. “Sorry it took me so long,” he said. “I got caught up talking to Maggie in the kitchen.”

  “It’s okay,” Edith said. She turned to Felicity and Dario. “Are you guys hungry? We should get in there before it’s gone.”

  River put his arm around Edith’s shoulders, and the pair of them started for the kitchen.

  Dario glanced at Felicity and tilted his head. “After you,” he said gallantly. He gestured for her to precede him and fell in about a half step behind her. As they walked, his hand came to rest on the small of her back, and Felicity smiled.

  * * *

  He really needed to stop watching her.

  Dario forced his gaze off Felicity and back onto the sugar cookies on the plate in front of him. Maggie had distributed the cookies after everyone had finished lunch, and Thorne had set up tubes of icing, bowls of sprinkles and dishes of small, pressed sugar pieces for use in decorating the treats. The entire Colton clan were gathered around the large farmhouse table, chatting over the soft din of Christmas carols drifting in from the stereo in the living room.

  Fat snowflakes dropped lazily from the gray sky, completing the festive scene. It was exactly the kind of cozy, domestic setting that normally had him searching for the nearest exit, but today Dario found himself relaxing and enjoying the company.

  It didn’t hurt that Felicity sat across from him, her cheeks flushed from the warmth of the room and her hot apple cider. When they’d first arrived she had seemed a bit nervous. He’d meant to stay by her side until she felt more comfortable, but Joseph had claimed his attention and he’d had to leave her. Fortunately, River and his wife, Edith, had picked up the slack, and it hadn’t taken long for Felicity to start smiling and chatting with the Coltons.

  She sat between River and Edith now, and Dario was happy to see she appeared to be enjoying herself. She’d taken an instant liking to River Colton, a fact that had triggered a quick burst of irrational jealousy in his chest. Dario had squashed it immediately, knowing he was being ridiculous. It was only natural Felicity would feel comfortable around River, since they were both Marine Corps veterans who had been to war. They had the bond of shared experiences, something Dario would never be able to understand. The realization left him feeling a bit bereft in a way he couldn’t fully explain. He had no desire to go to war, but there was a part of him that was sad to know he’d never be able to fully connect with Felicity on some levels. It was as if a piece of her was locked away, and he’d never be able to find the key.

  Dario shook his head, dismissing the maudlin thoughts. It didn’t matter anyway—Felicity had made it clear she had no interest in seeing him outside of a professional setting, so he had no reason to worry about how his lack of military experience would affect his ability to understand her.

  But despite knowing they didn’t have a future, Dario couldn’t stop looking at Felicity.

  Heaven help him, but he enjoyed watching her smile and the graceful movements of her hands as she worked to decorate her set of cookies. She was so beautiful, with a few tendrils of dark brown hair framing her face. She leaned forward, absorbed in her task, and he saw a flash of white as she gently bit her bottom lip in concentration. The sight hit him like a punch to the gut, and his stomach flip-flopped as he wondered if she’d apply that same focus to other, more pleasurable pursuits.

  He slammed the door on the burgeoning fantasy and shoved back from the table a bit more forcefully than he’d intended. Everyone turned to look at him, and he felt his face heat. “Ah, I was just going to grab a glass of water. Can I bring anything back?”

  There was a chorus of “No, thanks” and “Not right now.” Dario nodded and walked into the kitchen, putting some much-needed space between him and Felicity.

  He leaned against the counter and took a deep breath, then glanced around at the cupboards, trying to decide which one might hold glasses.

  “Upper left,” said Thorne as he walked into the room.

  Dario followed his directions and retrieved a glass. “Thanks,” he said, crossing to the sink to turn on the tap.

  “No problem.” Thorne leaned a hip against the counter and studied Dario as he took a sip of water. “Everything okay?”

  Dario nodded. “Yep. Just got thirsty.”

  “Does she know?”

  Dario glanced down, pretending not to understand. “Does who know what?”

  Thorne merely tilted his head to the side and Dario sighed. “She knows I’m interested. She’s not.”

  “I’m sorry, man. That’s rough.”

  Dario shrugged. “It’s not the first time I’ve been turned down.” But for some reason, Felicity’s rejection had stung. When other women had brushed off his attentions, Dario had moved on without a second thought. But Felicity’s appeal went beyond the physical, and her refusal to give him a chance made him feel like he was missing out on something special.

  “Is that why you volunteered to help with the case? Are you hoping to change her mind?”

>   “That’s not the only reason,” Dario said, sounding defensive even to his own ears.

  Thorne held up a hand. “No judgment here. I might have something to help you get into her good graces.” He stuck his hand in his pocket and withdrew a folded piece of paper. “I asked everyone to think of people who might have a grudge against us because someone in our family somehow did them wrong. Here’s what we came up with.” He passed the paper over and Dario unfolded it, surprised at the number of names on the list.

  “I can’t promise your guy is on there,” Thorne said. “But for what it’s worth, I hope this helps.”

  “This is fantastic,” Dario said, scanning the paper before folding it and tucking it into his own pocket. His fingers tingled with the urge to touch a keyboard, and he couldn’t wait to get back to his computer so he could start digging into the collection of potential suspects. If one of these people was Sulla, it wouldn’t take him long to make the connection.

  “I’m glad to hear that.” Thorne clapped him on the shoulder as he walked past. “Now that you got what you came here for, are you going to leave right away, or can I convince you to stay and finish decorating your set of cookies? You know how hard Maggie worked baking everything.”

  Dario laughed and nodded. “I wouldn’t want to upset the lady of the house.”

  “Smart man,” Thorne commented. “With an attitude like that, I’d say you’re ready for marriage.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Dario said. The thought of binding himself to one woman for the rest of his life usually triggered an automatic rejection in Dario’s mind, but not this time. Having seen how happy Thorne was with his wife and child, and witnessing the other Coltons with their spouses, Dario had to admit the idea of marriage might not be as bad as he’d previously assumed. None of the Coltons appeared unsatisfied or unfulfilled. In fact, it was just the opposite. They all seemed quite happy. Just like his parents. Or Emiliano and Marie, for that matter.

  He followed Thorne back into the dining room and sat across from Felicity once more. She glanced up and smiled at him, her eyebrows drawn together slightly in a silent question. Dario nodded, and her shoulders relaxed.

  “That’s a nice snowman you’ve got there,” he said, indicating the cookie she was working on.

  His comment drew the attention of the rest of the family, and a chorus of “oohs” and “‘aahs” broke out as everyone caught a glimpse of the finely detailed winter scene Felicity had created.

  She blushed, but he could tell by the look in her eyes she was pleased people liked her work. “Thanks,” she said quietly.

  Cody craned his neck to see what all the fuss was about. “That’s so cool!” He climbed out of his chair and walked over to stand next to Felicity for a better look. “You’re really good at this. Can you draw an octopus and a shark on one for me?”

  Felicity looked a bit taken aback by the boy’s request and Knox chuckled softly. “That’s a lot to fit on one cookie,” he said to his son. He turned to Felicity and said, “He’s really into all things oceanic right now.”

  Felicity nodded. “There’s a lot of cool things in the ocean. How about I put an octopus on one cookie and a shark on the other?”

  “Okay!”

  “Here, buddy.” River stood and gestured to his chair. “Take my seat so you can watch the master work without crowding her.”

  “Thanks, Uncle River.” Cody climbed onto the chair and leaned forward, elbows on the table, getting as close to Felicity as he could without actually crawling into her lap. She reached out to grab a fresh cookie, and Dario’s chest tightened as he watched the two of them—woman and boy, one dark head and one light close together, the pair of them talking quietly to each other. Cody was rattling off facts about his favorite ocean creatures, and Felicity was asking him questions as she worked. It was clear she liked children, and for a brief, fantastical moment, Dario imagined what life would be like if he and Felicity had a baby together. What holiday traditions would they celebrate? Would their son be fascinated with the ocean like Cody, or would he be more interested in trains and cars? Either way, Dario knew Felicity would be a great mother. She seemed genuinely interested in what Cody had to say, and she tolerated his frequent interruptions with good grace and humor.

  After a few seconds, Dario shook himself free of the spell he was under. It didn’t matter that Felicity was good with kids, or that she had all the makings of a great mother. He didn’t want to get tied down in a relationship, and children weren’t in his master plan. He was all about enjoying life and the variety of beautiful women in the world. He needed to stop fixating on Felicity and start looking for someone else to have fun with. Someone who wouldn’t make him question his choices and wonder about things that had no chance of happening.

  No matter how intriguing they seemed...

  Chapter 5

  Felicity stared at her computer screen, reading the same sentence for the tenth time. It was hard to compose a response to Zane Colton’s request for an update when her mind was occupied with thoughts of Dario.

  He’d been strangely pensive on the drive back from the Coltons’ yesterday. He’d seemed preoccupied, even, as if he’d been trying to work through a particularly knotty problem. After all her attempts at small talk had fizzled out, Felicity had stopped trying to make conversation and had embraced the silence. His lack of engagement hadn’t bothered her—she understood the need for quiet while trying to think.

  Had he been distracted by the case, or by something else? It was a question that still dogged her today and made her wonder just what was going on in his handsome head. The Colton siblings had given them a list of names yesterday, so now they had some leads to pursue. But was there something else bothering Dario?

  She’d watched him yesterday, enjoying the sight of him with little Joseph. Dario had seemed to really like playing with the baby, but she hadn’t missed the glint of surprise in his eyes every time Joseph turned to him or sought his attention. Was he currently rethinking his professed desire to remain footloose and fancy-free forever?

  Doubt it, she thought with a snort. One afternoon with a cute infant probably wasn’t enough to make Dario reconsider his enjoyment of serial monogamy. And why should it? Children were a huge responsibility, and while Felicity knew she’d like to have kids of her own someday, she wasn’t ready to take that leap yet.

  A rap on her office door broke through her musings, and Felicity looked up to find Edith Colton standing in the doorway.

  Felicity rose from her chair. “Hi, Edith. What brings you in today?”

  “I was in the area finishing up my holiday shopping, and I thought I’d stop in and say hello. Is this a bad time?”

  “Not at all.” Felicity waved her inside and gestured to the chair in front of her desk. “Please, sit down.”

  “Thanks.” Edith plopped down and set her bags on the floor. “Every year I think I’m going to be more organized and get all the gifts bought early, and yet here I am on Christmas Eve, doing last-minute shopping.”

  Felicity laughed. “I can relate. I still need to find something for my parents.” And what about Dario? The question popped into her head and Felicity froze. She had bought a little present for Adeline, but the two of them were more than just coworkers; they were friends. Still, she couldn’t very well give Adeline something and not Dario. It seemed rude to ignore the fact that she and Dario had been spending so much time together lately, and she didn’t want to exclude him from the office gift exchange later in the afternoon. She made a mental note to sneak out on her lunch break and search for a small token he might like. But what should she look for? She didn’t have a lot of experience buying things for men, and Dario seemed like he already had everything.

  “You okay?” Edith asked. “You have a funny look on your face.”

  Felicity swallowed. “I just realiz
ed Adeline and I are doing our gift exchange this afternoon before she leaves for the holiday. I didn’t get anything for Dario, and I don’t want him to feel left out.”

  “That’s sweet of you,” Edith said.

  “Do you have any ideas? He always looks so polished and put together. I can’t imagine there’s anything he wants.”

  Edith considered the question for a moment. “I wouldn’t try to get a personal gift, especially since you two don’t know each other that well yet. There’s a gourmet chocolate shop down the block. Why don’t you get him some truffles? Everyone loves chocolate.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Felicity said. “I haven’t seen him eat many sweets, though. He does drink a lot of coffee. He always seems to have a cup in his hand...”

  “I was just in The French Press, that new coffee shop, and they have a lot of gifts on display,” Edith said. “You’ll probably find something there that will work.”

  “Perfect,” Felicity said. “Thanks—you’ve saved me a lot of stress.”

  “No problem.” Edith leaned forward, a spark of curiosity in her eyes. “Does this mean you’re going to give him a shot?”

  Felicity leaned back in her chair, wondering why everyone was suddenly so curious about her dating life. “I’m not sure yet. Why do you ask?”

  “I think it would be a good distraction for you.” Edith searched Felicity’s face, her expression kind. “I hope you don’t mind, but River told me some of the things you’ve been dealing with since you retired from the Corps. For what it’s worth, he went through a lot of the same issues, too. It might be good for you to try something new, to take your mind off your worries.”

  “You might be right,” Felicity murmured. She’d been thinking along those lines herself, and Edith’s encouragement made her think it was probably the right thing to do. At the very least, dating Dario would help her get out of her head and force her to interact with the world, rather than retreating to her lonely apartment every night.

  Then another thought occurred to her, and Felicity’s stomach twisted. “Say I do decide to go for it,” she said. “How exactly do I approach him? I haven’t been in a position to date anyone in years—I have no idea what to say!”